The Road to a Happy Ever After
by freyat93
Summary: The BPD are called to a crime scene that has all the characteristics of a fairy tale evil villain... but fairy tales aren't real, right? Rated M for the eventual smut-fest of Rizzles and the occasional gore reference First time posting, Enjoy! :)
1. Chapter 1 - Once Upon a Murder

It was 4am and Jane was still staring at her computer screen, what was she missing? There had to be something that could tell her about this truly unique killer.

…

The crime scene she had visited earlier that day was at a seemingly normal suburban household, but it certainly had some striking differences. It was a two bedroomed house with a manicured lawn, perfectly watered flowerbeds and ivy that climbed up all four walls of the property, a small collection of garden gnomes were also seen fishing in a small pond close to a wishing well. There was even a turret complete with coloured stained glass windows on the right hand side of the property, it was truly something that could had been taken out of a children's fairy tale story. Inside however was a different matter. Blood droplets from the outside path had lead a worried neighbour (and later the BPD) into the victim's bedroom, which could only be described as a bloodbath. The victim was a young girl, mid to late twenties with long blonde curls in her hair, she had a soft complexion, someone who hadn't really seen much of life… and now who wouldn't get the chance. Her arms were delicately folded over her bosom, a tiara gently placed on her crown, and what was more intriguing was the gown which this young girl was wearing. Jane thought she looked familiar… quite like the pictures in _Sleeping Beauty_ Angela had read to her as a child, but was Jane reading too much into this? This girl could have been mistaken for someone fast asleep, if it weren't for the blood soaked bed sheets she was laying in.

The room and the entire property had been looked over with a fine tooth comb; no blood (other than the victim's) no prints, not even any sign of a forced entry. Whoever this was knew their victim, and knew them well. "We've got an ID." Frost's voice brought Jane back into the crime scene from her thoughts; she hadn't gotten much sleep last night, or the one before for that matter. "Rose Dagny, 27. She was an assistant professor of Creative Writing at BCU, she bought this property about a year ago and has done extensive remodelling to it ever since." Frost turned his tablet around to show Jane and Korsak a photo of the house before Rose had moved in; it was completely unrecognisable, very plain, very ordinary and very turret-less.

"She really wanted the fairy tale life, huh?" Jane stepped back from the body to take in the rest of the room. "Hey guys, where's Maura? Shouldn't she be here by now?" The two officers began to smirk, wait, what are they hiding? "Oh come on guys, you know I hate secrets!" Korsak was the one who broke the silence;

"Oh you'll see when she gets here!"

_I hate it when they do that. _Jane angrily thought to herself and turned her back on the boys. "Good Morning Dr. Isles" Frost announced happily, Jane found herself spinning around faster than was probably necessary to get her first glimpse of the day at _her _ME.

Maura Isles. The Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, yet she would not look out of place on a runway in Paris or Milan, the sound of her high heels echoing over the tiled floors. Jane watched as Maura came straight over to her, coffee in one hand, her medical bag in the other.

"Thought you might need this after last night" she said quietly with a wink at the detective… _Yup,_ thought Jane as the feeling that she thought had been satisfied that very morning started pulsing through her again, _this woman is going to be the death of me. _After handing Jane the coffee, Maura's fingers quickly traced over Jane's right hip that was exposed slightly by her open black jacket, as the detective leaned in, Maura turned away very quickly, causing the detective to moan (slightly louder than she meant to) out of frustration. "Now, now detective, we have work to be getting on with." The glisten in her warm hazelnut eyes was the only thing that could have left the detective speechless.

As Maura took the blue disposable gloves out of her handbag and crouched down beside the young girl, Jane suddenly had a thought, "Hey Maur? Look to see if there's anything on the middle finger on her left hand."

The ME gently lifted up Rose's finger and saw a pinprick of blood on the centre of her fingertip… "There's a small pinprick of blood. Was she diabetic?"

Frost immediately looked up her medical records, "Nope nothing. Jane why did you think to look there?"

Jane took a deep breath, "Because it looks like we have our own fairy tale villain. And this, is his Princess Aurora."


	2. Chapter 2 - There Once Was A Man

_**Thanks for all of the interest so far guys! I aim to post every couple of days and hopefully you'll enjoy this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Now, let's get more acquainted with our evil villain…**_

…

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the most evil of them all?" A deep, male voice spoke in the darkness to a large mirror, which had a beautifully decorated golden frame, yet whoever this was, his reflection could not be seen in the dim light of the room. The only light that did pierce through the shadows was from a gap in the long, moth-eaten curtains, far above where the voice seemed to originate. Particles of dust danced in the rays of light that now helped to illuminate the room. On the walls were photos of various young girls, all from different neighbourhoods, but were all connected by a darker secret, one that the BPD were very slowly unravelling. A red 'x' was drawn through one of the photos, and out of the shadows a hand reached out clutching a red pen, hovering menacingly over the image of his next victim.

…

In the lab, Maura was examining the x-rays of Rose, the only thing particularly noticeable was the single stab wound directly through her heart. _How poetic, _she thought to herself. Suddenly lost in her thoughts, Maura imagined herself as a damsel in distress, locked away in a tower, in danger from the curse of a wicked, old witch, Jane shows up just in time, dressed in a full suit of armour riding a white horse, brandishing her sword ready to vanquish anyone who dared hurt her princess. Laughing as she pictured her beautiful girlfriend showing up on her noble steed, she felt familiar arms wrapping around her waist.

"Daydreaming again Dr. Isles?" Jane asked with a smile, her lips caressing the arch of the ME's neck; the heat against Maura's skin made her knees go weak and a familiar feeling started to grow within her… the detective never seemed to lose that effect on her.

"Maybe," Maura answered, turning to face the detective, her arms wrapped around Jane's neck, bringing her closer so nearly every part of their bodies were touching. "How do you feel about armour and a horse?" She asked with a wink. Jane's expression turned from lusting after the beautiful honey blonde in front of her, to one of pure confusion.

"Wait…" Jane managing to turn her erratic thoughts into a legible sentence, "I will do a lot of things for you Maura Isles, both in and out of the bedroom, but you're not serious about the whole chainmail thing right?"

Maura laughed as she kissed Jane on the cheek, adding extra sway to her hips as she walked back to her x-rays, leaving the detective with some very unprofessional thoughts about what could be done on the desk just a little further away; and especially what could be done with the object hidden in the bottom left hand draw. Now Jane was the one daydreaming, and she only knew one thing for certain; when they got home there was going to be no armour… and certainly, no horses.

…

"Boston Homicide, Korsak speaking. Yes sir, Right away sir." _Why weren't Jane and Frost here when I needed them? _Korsak thought as he hurried down to the morgue, really wishing he'd learned how to text faster for situations like this. _Was this corridor always this long?_ Suddenly now the morgue seemed like a lifetime away, when he finally arrived he found two of the three people he needed urgently huddled around their first victim.

"Jees Korsak, Why didn't you just text one of us instead of injuring yourself? Told you that extra doughnut at lunch was a bad idea!" Jane exclaimed to the sound of laughter from Dr. Isles and Frost who had just appeared in the doorway. They watched Korsak stand, well, more so bending over in the doorway, clutching his side trying to get his breath back.

"I told you…me and technology… don't mix…that's why...I need…you two available…or at least… near… your radio's!" as his breathing returned to normal, Korsak finally managed to get the message through to the others, "There's some good news and bad news. The bad news is that we have another victim, the good news is that this time, we have a witness."

…

"I thought you said the witness called it in from the BCU campus Korsak?" Jane asked inquisitively as they pulled up outside an old warehouse near the docks.

"It was Rizzoli, however, the witness also saw them leave and take the girl with them; they didn't know they were being watched so they weren't careful in covering their vehicle, we followed the registration plate straight to this warehouse." It was obvious that the building was old… it wasn't until the detectives and the medical examiner stepped inside did they realise just how old the building was. Saved from demolition by being registered as a listed building, it had stood on the dockside for nearly one hundred years. Broken tiles littered the floor; their ghostly shapes still appeared clearly against the years of dust that had settled in their place.

"Jane, look!" whispered Maura, her voice echoing through the room. On the far side of the building was a very old Victorian fireplace, surrounded by (mostly fractured) dark green tiles, and in the hearth was a body. A very frail, young girl, dressed in a maid's uniform and cap, a sweeping brush placed in her right hand.

As the team approached surveying the room, Dr. Isles headed straight for the young girl, "White female." Maura spoke into her voice recorder, "She looks to be no older than 20, soot is covering most of her facial features. Died no longer than 8 hours ago, who would do a thing like this?"

"Frost, we got an ID?"

"Not yet, the victim was most definitely not wearing these clothes when she was on campus. I mean, unless she was in the drama club or transported from the 1900's." However, we currently have a young lady at the police station who can tell us."

"She knows the victim?" Jane and Korsak looked at each other in disbelief; suddenly the case was looking a whole lot brighter. A few hours ago they had a seemingly anonymous tip off about this murder, but now they had a potential relative or friend with information, finally this case is heading somewhere! Jane thought excitedly, getting possible questions ready in her mind; if only Maura knew that she too could sometimes be organised.

"Better," Frost continued, looking very pleased with himself, "she caught the murder on camera."

"Then what are we still doing here? Get the boys in to take this poor girl to the morgue and let's get back to the station!" They all seemed to agree with Korsak's plan, but Maura, sensing that her detective had been quiet for far too long, turned to face Jane, who seemed to be looking at something over Maura's shoulder.

"Wait… what's that in the fireplace?" she asked, pointing to a very small white edge sticking out of the red brick fireplace. Taking a moment to spot it amongst the debris, Maura leaned over and gently tugged, some of the brick crumbled at her touch, but in her outstretched hand she held a small piece of white paper. It held a simple message, written in a familiar reddish-brown substance.

"You're next Snow White."

…

"So hang on. You're meaning to tell me that, for real, we have an evil villain running around the streets of Boston murdering princesses?" Jane was pacing up and down the office, quite clearly frustrated at this new evidence.

"Who's next? My Little Pony going on a rampage through the city?"

"Now Jane," she felt Maura's arm gently rest on hers, calming her down considerably, even the slight pressure causing her to sink into the uncomfortable red chair in Maura's office. "We both know that princesses and my little pony don't exist in the real world, however they do seem to exist in the mind of our murderer. Hence why we found 'Cinderella' lying in the hearth; they want to make all of the fairy tale cliché's come true, in a very realistic way I might add. The time it must have taken to think up these intricate plans, this person wanted these girls dead, and they didn't want them to go the easy way."

"I really don't want this to be happening Maur, I spent so much of my childhood reading these stories, and wanting to be in that world, being saved (at that time) by my Prince Charming. I never really imaged that I would be able to protect my own damsel in distress one day," smiling lovingly at Maura, and squeezing her thigh, "and I certainly never thought I'd be working for the BPD protecting girls against an ogre!"

"Jane! Don't be ridiculous, ogres don't exist!"

"Neither did Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty until a few hours ago!"

"Rizzoli, your witness is upstairs. I want answers, and I want 'em fast!" Cavanaugh barked as he put his head around the door to the morgue, "Reckon you can put your girlfriend down for ten minutes?"

"Go be all detective-y I'll be here when you get back" Maura placed a gentle kiss on the detective's cheek… but Jane had other ideas. Her fingers made their way to twist into Maura's hair, pulling her into a passionate kiss…

"Did you just use a colloquialism doc? I think I'm rubbing off on you" Jane whispered, brushing Maura's hair behind her right ear, leaving a trail of soft kisses down her neck, feeling Maura arch underneath her.

"I don't feel anything of that effect actually." Maura lied… badly, as she was pushed gently backwards until she was sitting on her own desk, legs wrapped around Jane's waist…

"That's better." A soft moan escaped Maura's lips as their tongues intertwined, just as Maura's hand was slipping between Jane's thighs, their kiss suddenly broke apart.

"RIZZOLI! NOW!"

"Hold that thought." Jane dashed out of the room, leaving Maura's vintage dress slightly more creased then when she had left the house this morning.

_**I thought I'd leave the interrogation until the next chapter… give all your eyes a break from reading ;) Hope you're all still enjoying it, and will stick around to see what our 'Snow White' has to say about the murderer. Next post will be either tomorrow or Tuesday **____** .**_


	3. Chapter 3 - If Only We Had a Magic Wand

Chapter 3 – If Only We Had A Magic Wand

_**Thank you for all the continued support guys! Can't believe the reaction this story is having. (Especially for my first time writing) Now, let's try and unravel this mystery. This is a long one, but I promise it's worth it.**_

_**Just in case: There are also a few swear words in this chapter. And any medical injuries mentioned I haven't officially researched, they are purely for the story, so I'm sorry if there are any medical inaccuracies!**_

_**Should probably put a disclaimer: I do not own these characters, just borrowing them to fuel my imagination **_

…

"I'm Detective Rizzoli, this is Detective Frost, and we hear you have some information that could help our investigation?" Jane, although being direct in her questioning, still possessed a soft tone to her voice that put any suspect at ease.

"Yes I do… although I still can't quite understand all that I saw." The girl held a slight quiver in her voice, Jane could tell that the girl sat before her had witnessed something shocking, but all the detective needed was for her to remember those details.

"Firstly, could we have your name for the record please?" Frost asked, pointing to the video camera set up behind them.

"Of course, yes. Sorry. My name is Bianca, Bianca Stone. But my friends have a habit of calling me Snow White. They think I'm far too pure to be an undercover reporter."

Jane and Frost exchanged a worried look. The killer again seemed to be one step ahead. Luckily Bianca didn't notice their exchange and continued talking.

"I guess I should tell you everything that I saw right?"

"Yes please, let's start with what you were doing that night?" Frost asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, as like I've just mentioned briefly, I'm a reporter for the BCU paper, The Eagle Gazette. Usually I do minor pieces, mainly to do with on-campus scandals, but with being head of the Christian Association I didn't have much time normally to complete bigger articles. This week however, I had a tip off, about the bar just off campus that was serving underage girls if they… let's say, 'revealed themselves'. I was quite hidden, behind some of the American football jocks, when I heard an argument start to break out. No one else seemed to notice, but I have quite sharp senses. The girl was very upset, and the gentleman she was with. Well, I couldn't see his face, but he didn't feel like the sort of person you'd want to cross. She left crying, and he soon followed her. He stood up, and he was quite short, shorter than average for a man anyway; and he seemed to have a hunch, as in a curvature of the spine, not like an idea. Anyway, he limped after her, and I had a bad feeling so I followed them."

This girl was strongly reminding Jane of Maura, how precise she was in her words, and at the same time how she was telling them the long version of her story; yet being detectives, the shortened version was never usually the truth.

"I managed to find a spot that was very secluded, just near enough to hear what was going on, but further enough away that I couldn't be spotted. That's when I recorded them on my camera." She pulled a video recorder out of her pocket, and instead of talking them through the footage, she pressed play and handed it over to the detectives.

The video was very dark, the rustle of movement that came from the bushes Bianca was hiding in made their voices very hard to hear, but two minutes in, the detectives could suddenly make out both of their voices. The wind must have changed direction.

"I've told you! I cannot pay that money back. There is no way! I have two more years of school left before I even have a chance of getting a job that offers that type of money! The bastard knew that when he leant it to me!" The girls sounded very upset, but she was evidently strong. Jane liked the sound of her, standing up to her bully, it just made it all the more upsetting that she had ended up on the cold, hard table downstairs.

"Yes, he did know. But you also had a side of the bargain which you did not keep. The Master is very upset." The second voice did not match the appearance on the camera. The voice was quite soft, definitely male, but husky, as if his vocal chords had been damaged quite recently. Jane made a mental note to check recent medical records of anyone with damaged vocal chords, she thought it might make sense to ask the ME's professional opinion matter too.

"Oh he's upset is he? Then why does he always send you to do his dirty work for him? Why do you serve someone who you know has no morals? Why do you think it's acceptable for a grown man to trick innocent young girls into lending money that he knows full well they can't afford to repay for a very long time! " The girl was losing the tremble in her voice; she was getting ready for a fight.

"The Master I serve is a very forgiving man; he after all gave me a second chance." The man slightly pushed back the hood on his jacket, revealing his face to the young girl but not to the camera.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" She screamed stumbling backwards. "Get away from me!" The girl looked as though she was getting ready to run. Until something, or more likely someone stopped her.

"I told you, not to make promises you cannot keep to my master, 'Cinders'. He is not one to be disappointed." The husky voice of the man seemed pleased, he knew something big was about to happen.

"I hate that nickname. Do you think I want to be reminded of my past everywhere I go? You tell your master to threaten me to my fucking face instead of sending you, you ugly monster!" She spat with pure venom at the man opposite her.

A piercing scream cut through the night, a flash of metal was seen arching through the air towards the girl, who crumpled suddenly to the ground. A shadow was seen appearing where the girl known as Cinders, stood a few seconds before.

"Now look what you made me do Beast." Both detectives could make out the sound of the man spitting at his accomplice. "I have now lost a lot of money. I gave you a second chance as others turned away and could barely look at you. You better not fail me again. Now pick her up. We don't want to attract any attention."

The video cut out just as the smaller man lifted up the girl roughly and placed her over his shoulder; carrying the devastatingly wounded girl away into the cold, November night.

"Well fuck." Jane sighed finally looking away from the screen. She looked to Bianca, and saw that she looked terrified, her hands grasping her throat as if she couldn't breathe. Jumping to her aid, Jane and Frost called for back-up but it was too late.

"She was right here in front of us! How the hell did she die?" A loud bang on the table echoed around the interrogation room as Jane slammed her hand down hard in frustration. Bianca became their next victim, even though at that moment she was far away from her murderer.

"Jane you're not going to believe this." Frost had crouched down next to Bianca's feet, and retrieved an object.

"The clichés are getting ridiculous."

In his hand Frost held an apple with a sizeable chunk taken out of it, Bianca had truly become Snow White, dying at the hands of a poison apple.

…

Cavanaugh wasn't impressed.

"You're telling me Rizzoli, that we have three 'fairy tale princesses' dead? And there's only one clue and that's to someone called Beast? Who is this other guy?"

"Frost is running the voices through our database see if we can get a match. With guys like this it isn't their first time. We should have a record of at least something."

Just at that moment there was a knock on the door, Maura opened it slightly to stick her head through as she spoke to Jane and Cavanaugh.

"I've double checked what you suggested about the man's voice Detective, you were right, he did in fact suffer from damage to his vocal chords, and there's only one man registered with this particular injury at Boston Mass. Gen. in the last few years."

"Go Rizzoli, see what you can get on this creep." With the wave of his hand, Jane was free to leave the office and research this new lead. The man in question went by the name of Rich Mason. He suffered a terrible accident, leaving him with serious 2nd degree burns on the majority of his body; he had no record of working since. Frost, who had taken to using Google and Facebook to get more personal information, came across pictures of his ex fiancé.

"Look at this, Rich and… oh god, Belle, broke up three weeks before our first victim was killed." Frost turned his monitor around so the others could see the screen; the relationship status held many sympathetic comments, but the majority were very hurtful towards Belle; apparently she was the one who had called the engagement off.

"Let's bring her in, if they haven't gotten to her first." Rizzoli picked her keys up off her desk and made her way to the address Frost had just sent to her phone.

Frost's computer pinged, notifying him of new evidence from the voice recognition team.

"Guys we've got a match. Say hello to Doug Ellis. He's wanted in Maine for being a loan shark. These aren't the first girls he's caught out."

"But Bianca didn't have any financial problems, and neither did Rose. Is he wanted for anything else?"

"Let's just say he likes getting his own way. His previous convictions include a lot of GBH. (grievous bodily harm), he made a lot of enemies."

"Maura you coming to help with evidence?" She shouted to the ME from down the hall.

"Give me five minutes detective, I'll bring the examination notes from our other victims, we haven't really discussed those yet!"

"I'll be in the lobby with coffee." Jane replied as she exited the office, leaving Frost in charge of any other leads he might find; and made her way to the division one café, faintly hearing the sound of Maura's heels coming after her.

"Okay so," Jane could tell Maura had started to relax a lot since her relationship with Jane began, she was more confident, and felt the safest she ever had with Jane. She placed her left hand on Jane's thigh as they were driving, the documents held securely in her right hand.

"Medically, all of these girls were healthy, their only injuries were the ones sustained by the attacker. Our 'Cinderella' however lived up to her nickname, her joints were very worn and her hands were rough and blistered; she'd definitely had a hard working life before university."

"Right, so what connects them? Did Frost come up with anything?" Hopefully on the one hour drive to this address they would come up with some strong evidence to present to Belle.

"Well, it's strange. The only thing they all seemed to have in common was BCU. Rose was the professor, and at some point or another, these girls were her students; and interestingly enough. So was Rich."

"Do we know what classes they took?"

"Yes. The only one they all attended was 'The World of Fantasy: A modern take on traditional classics'. It was apparently Rose's favourite to teach according to her colleagues."

"So, what we can assume is that these personas may have been used at college and that's why the killer decided to present them like that?"

"It's possible. But I still can't get around how Bianca got that apple in the first place. I have to admit the murder was clever. Don't look at me like that Jane, it was! There were high levels of postsynaptic neurotoxins in her bloodstream!"

"And in layman's terms that means?"

"Oh Jane, it's found in venom! Bianca was poisoned due to venom being injected into the fruit!"

"I don't even want to think about how he's going to kill Belle… if he is!" Jane quickly added sensing Maura tense up beside her. "But just in case, I'm going to call in for backup."

They pulled up at the listed address not later than 2pm, but the curtains were already closed.

"That seem strange to you Maur?"

"Well, she might not like the daylight… she could be sensitive… or just like you."

"Like me?"

"Yes, forgetful of simple household chores. Closing doors, doing the dishes, opening windows and curtains." She said smiling; knowing Jane had forgotten to do all of these tasks that very morning.

"Well in this case. I've got a feeling it's going to be a lot more sinister." Pleading with the woman she loved, "Please wait in the car for me? You're not armed and I'm not risking anything happening to you."

"I'm not letting you go in there alone Jane. It might be fine, but how will I know you are from out here?" Maura's eyes started to glisten, Jane knew she had a point, but she couldn't risk it.

"Well how about, we both go to the door. You stand to one side so that if anything does happen, they can't see you and you can call for help. Okay?"

A small smile lit up Maura's face, "Okay Jane. I promise. Now go be the badass I know you are."

"Oh it'll be my pleasure." Jane winked at Maura as they both left the car.

Starting up the path to the house, Jane had a feeling that something was about to go wrong. She knocked on the door as it was locked. _No forced entry_,_ it's a good start_ she thought as the pressure of the situation eased slightly.

"Hello?" A young woman's sing-song voice came from behind them. In the driveway stood an incredibly beautiful young woman, her arms full of bags from her recent food shopping trip. "Are you here about Rose?" She asked the detective, spotting her badge on Jane's hip.

"You knew Rose?" Sharing a shocked glance with Maura, Jane had to know.

"Of course I did, she was my partner." _Wait… what?_

"Your partner? As in, you knew her other than professionally?" _Could this really be the link they've been looking for? Something as simple as a jilted lover? _

The young woman laughed, "Yes more than professionally. She was my professor, I attended university later than my friends, hence why I'm still there at 25. We grew close, but of course we had to keep it a secret, I graduated this year and we enjoyed the privacy so much we didn't really tell anyone. We were actually planning on getting married!" Belle was a remarkable young woman, even though she had recently lost her partner tragically, she still remembered her with such love, it was even harder to be investigating this case.

The sound of a door opening behind them made Jane and Maura whirl around suddenly, a man stood there, his face covered in shadow.

"You would never have married her. If I can't have you, _She_ certainly wasn't going to steal you away." A very familiar voice snarled to Belle, it was a lot more threatening hearing it in real life. Jane felt goosebumps erupt all over her skin, and instinctively reached for Maura's hand. Rich was one step ahead. Again. But where was his master?

As a second shadow joined him in the doorway, Jane had only one thought. _Shit. _

…


	4. Chapter 4 - The Clock Strikes Twelve

Chapter 4 – The Clock Strikes Twelve

"Get inside now. I don't want to have any more deaths on my conscience than I already do."

If Jane didn't know any better she would believe the subtle hint of regret and truth this man had in his voice; however as a detective she knew better. Belle was the first to move, slowly inching further forward, more terrified than one should be before their own front door.

…

"_Frost run that name again, Doug Ellis. Are you sure we don't know anything else about this creep?" Jane was more determined than ever to catch this man; it was cruel when people were killed at random, but when they were pre-empted, it just shook Jane to the core. No one capable of killing a close friend or family member should be allowed so far into people's lives they become a trusted member of that individual's world and yet, that's how serial killers worked. They were clever, they fitted in, they didn't attract attention; and yet this guy wanted the attention, the media attraction was clearly feeding his ego, if nothing else that was enough to make sure this bastard was caught. _

"_Hey Jane, take a look at this. Notes from another prisoner at Ohio State Prison said Doug was sometimes known as Rumplestiltskin. Of all the names, why would you choose that? I mean it hardly strikes fear." While Frost was still chuckling at the name, Jane's brain had engaged and brought back memories of a character from her childhood that she had always been afraid of. _

"_That's just it Frost. Did you ever read Rumplestiltskin as a kid?" _

"_I can't say that I did. I was more of a graphic novel type of kid." _

_Shaking her head, Jane recalled the tale of Rumplestiltskin, and how he was described as a man who had great powers, who had the ability to grant wishes in exchange for a small price, usually a promise of something very valuable. _

"_All of these girls needed something… I'm willing to bet even Rich wanted something only this guy could give to him. Our Cinderella needed money, we know that for certain to help pay her school fees; but looking at the tape her murder doesn't seem to be planned. As far as we know Bianca didn't know him previously, and neither did Rose… I can't shake the feeling something bigger is going on here. I need to see if Belle knows anything more." Picking her jacket up off the back of her chair, Jane joined Maura in the car towards Belle's house, in search of more answers._

**…**

"Detective, ladies, come this way please. Violence was never my style; I can promise you none of your blood shall be spilled this evening." The taller gentleman spoke with calmness and an honesty Jane wasn't used to hearing outside of the interrogation room. _Was this really the guy behind these gruesome murders? _Trusting her gut instinct, she put herself in front of both Belle and Maura and edged closer towards the house; her left hand hovering near her hip in case she needed to quickly reach for her gun.

Inside of Belle's home the furniture had been recently rearranged, the coffee table and the footstool were pushed back against the wall; whilst the sofa and a single chair were left in the middle of the room facing the door. Doug offered the sofa to the three women while he took the chair for himself; Rich glowered at him from the corner of the room.

"Where am I meant to sit?" He asked, sounding like a spoiled child.

"I left a rug in the corner for you. If it's good enough for the dog I'm sure you won't have any complaints." Doug answered coolly; it was clear the bond between these men was certainly a lot less than friendly. _So if they weren't friends… who the hell were they to each other? _Jane's confusion must have shown on her face, as suddenly, Doug had turned swiftly around and addressed her.

"Detective, I guess you want to know everything; but first I bet you want to know more why I haven't attempted to restrain any of you."

He was right, the fact that Rich had a gun a few moments ago gave away all the signs that they were in a hostage situation; but the way they were welcomed into Belle's living room Jane half expected him to offer them freshly made tea and scones from the adjoining kitchen. Jane felt Maura's hand subtly inch closer towards the detective's; she closed the gap between them, giving Maura the reassurance she needed that everything was going to be okay, she tried to give Belle the same reassurance, but her eyes were fixed on someone else entirely.

"YOU SHOULD BE ASKING THAT BITCH!" Rich suddenly screamed out from the corner of the room, pointing a heavily scarred finger at Belle, "SHE'S THE ONE WHO RUINED EVERYTHING! THOSE GIRLS ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF HER!"

"BECAUSE OF ME?" Belle stood up and rounded on Rich her anger burning clearly in her eyes, "I MET THOSE GIRLS IN PASSING DURING CLASS. I KNEW ROSE BECAUSE SHE WAS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. YOU TELL ME HOW IT'S MY FAULT THOSE POOR GIRLS AND _MY_ GIRL ARE DEAD!" She was physically shaking, the rage that had built up within her over the past week flowing freely through her body. As she made to move forward towards Rich, Jane jumped up putting herself between them, knowing full well that any conflict would end with the sound of a gunshot from Rich's gun ringing throughout the house.

"Belle, you've seen what he's capable of. I know he's a dick and he deserves so much more than a verbal assault. But as long as he has that gun I cannot guarantee your safety." Jane's eyes making contact with the young brunette, "I promise as soon as we're out of here, you can give him hell."

They were broken from their quiet conversation from a chuckle that erupted from Doug, who up until this point had let the situation play out in front of him.

"Something funny Doug?" Jane barked at him, just wishing she knew what was going through his mind; he had no visible weapon, he was showing no signs of violent behaviour, he was just there, as an observer?

"Ah you know me. Not surprisingly really, having to let this beast tag along with me wasn't my best idea. He's hardly the most discreet. Now Miss Belle, you said you wanted to give him hell. Let's begin shall we?"

…

Frost looked at the clock over the other side of the office, it was nearly 6pm and still no word from Jane or Maura, he knew the pair could look after themselves, but it didn't stop the worry from setting in.

"Korsak, reckon we should send some more uniforms over to Belle's place? They've been gone an awfully long time."

"When was the last time we had any contact?" Korsak peered at Frost from over the top of his glasses, he hated when they couldn't contact Jane, ever since Hoyt.

"Last contact was a 2:48pm. I got a text off Jane that read, '_At the house now, Belle has just arrived, something doesn't seem right. Send back up just in case. – J.'_ I sent over some uniforms but they haven't reported anything unusual."

"We'll finish up here and head on over, I'd hate to not be there if something goes wrong… but I'm driving." Korsak picked up his jacket and keys and headed to the parking lot, leaving Frost to hurriedly grab his tablet and follow his Sergeant into the unknown.

…

In one swift move Doug had rendered Rich unconscious and dragged him over to the rug in the corner, tying his hands behind his back for good measure.

"Wait, who's side are you even on? You take something away from all of these young girls, including their lives! And now you're acting as though he's the monster in all of this!" Jane's husky voice was growing in volume, her hand steady against her gun, which surprisingly hadn't been taken off her when she sat down.

"Well detective, I am a man of my word. As a man of business, once I make a deal, I do not break that deal, not for anything. It's true I have helped out many an unfortunate soul, but the past few weeks have been the only ones that have truly affected my conscience. Like I said before, violence was never my strong suit."

As Jane opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a small voice coming from beside her, Belle had turned towards Doug, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.

"So he did it? And you just let him? He destroyed the one person I cared for unconditionally and selflessly? He destroyed my entire fucking life! He…. He just… How could he? Rose…He took my Rose." Her tears were falling uncontrollably,

"HOW COULD YOU LET HIM?" She sank back into the couch, her face falling and becoming hidden behind her hands, Maura moved closer, her left arm carefully placed around Belle's shoulders.

"For the record miss, I did not just stand by and watch him do it. As a matter of fact I was only there for the college girl murder, and that I did out of necessity rather than malice. It was quite… out of character."

Out of all the people Jane had come across in her years as a detective, she had never met someone as complex as this guy. The way he moved, the way he spoke; it was all so fluid and seamless. Yet the way he acted and just irrationally killed this girl? He was right, it was definitely out of character, Jane hated feeling she was being made a fool of, but she couldn't pinpoint which part of his story was the lie.

"The character I am most ashamed of is in fact the one I shall be portraying in a few moments. I wish to give this beast hell before I leave, and I am sure you would not want to miss it. Belle? If you wouldn't mind coming to give me a hand with this task."

Belle gladly took Doug up on his offer, helping him to manoeuvre Rich into a sitting position and waited for him to become conscious once more. Jane shot Maura a worried look, slipping Maura her mobile discreetly while the other two were busy moving the body. 'Text Frost' Jane mouthed quickly. Her fingers worked quick and with precision, just like in the morgue, within seconds a text had been composed and sent to the officers who were, unknown to Jane and Maura, merely half an hour away from their location.

…

"Hey it's from Jane! _'Can't talk. Still at the house. Trying to get Doug to talk. He's not armed. Not a hostage situation. Will text when know more. – M._' Actually no, from Maura. I still don't like the sound of this. How long 'til we're there old man?" Frost asked with a smile towards the older man.

"Not long now, let the other officers know we're coming Frost, we'll keep the perimeter in check; I'll be staying right outside the front door until they come out if necessary."


End file.
